grumpyvette

its a whole lot less expensive to use a home brew octane booster, THINK, TOLUENE & XYLENE mixed with race gas in very high percentages as the SEPERATE fuel mix to feed the nitrous system http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/misc/octanebooster.html http://www.team.net/sol/tech/octane_b.html http://www.turbofast.com.au/racefuel2.html http://www.diabolicalperformance.com/hotrodoctane.html methanol can also be used but it requires a much higher fuel/air ratio and before anyone says anything TOLUENE is up to 30% of whats in NORMAL high test high octane gas, and up to 70% of the content of race fuel

those numbers can embarass some of the V-8 guys CONGRATS

I was seriously toying with the idea of getting a 2007 Z06,but the $75,000,price and the fact that I both don,t like the styling as much on the 2007 corvette as much as my 1996 corvette,and the Z06 corvette would be no faster than my current (heavily modified 1985)corvette made me drop the idea. look $17,000 http://www.theengineshop.com/prods_pages/108061.htm $5000 http://www.transmissioncenter.net/4L80E.htm add about $3000 for a disc brake dana 60 rear and you have a potentially much faster car for less than 1/3 the price, yeah IM well aware, that it won,t resale or handle as well, but it will be very impressive ,have well over 800hp, unique and cost less

"I'm not old school and I have no idea what you mean. Please enlighten me." ok how do i adjust them now? http://www.thedirtforum.com/chevyvalves.htm http://www.2quicknovas.com/happyvalves.html http://www.jimcookperformance.com/TechNotes/TN7Valvlash.html http://www.centuryperformance.com/valveadjustment.asp http://www.babcox.com/editorial/us/uhs89720.htm http://www.boostandfuel.com/support/setting_valves.htm http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/87998/index2.html http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/pontiacdude428/valveadj.html Valve Adjustment: ENGINE OFF! with #1 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #6 Intake Valve with #8 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #5 Intake Valve with #4 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #7 Intake Valve with #3 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #2 Intake Valve with #6 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #1 Intake Valve with #5 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #8 Intake Valve with #7 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #4 Intake Valve with #2 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #3 Intake Valve Exhaust Valve Adjustment: ENGINE OFF! If you have noticed, this is the same procedure as the intake valves listed above, just that you are now adjusting the exhaust valves the same way. with #1 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #6 Exhaust Valve with #8 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #5 Exhaust Valve with #4 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #7 Exhaust Valve with #3 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #2 Exhaust Valve with #6 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #1 Exhaust Valve with #5 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #8 Exhaust Valve with #7 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #4 Exhaust Valve with #2 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #3 Exhaust Valve or if your really lazy (you can use this method on hydrolic lifters)install the tall cut valve covers and just turn the engine about 20 degrees (start anywhere )and take the slack out of any loose rockers, repeat for 720 degrees,(twice around) then go back and give each rocker nut one turn OUT(LOOSER) and start the engine,(yeah it will be messy and noisy) and then go back and turn each rocker IN (TIGHTER) untill it just quits clicking plus 1/3rd of a turn past that point

heres the battery minder for those reading the thread http://www.vdcelectronics.com/batteryminder_12248.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------heres your chance to teach me something I know little about..... I need some battery info, guys all three of my corvettes get driven sporatically,they tend to sit in the garage occasionally ,while I drive the others , sometimes for up to three weeks at a time, now its can be because Im doing engine or drivetrain mods, engine swaps, ETC. which I do frequently or just don,t feel like driving that particular corvette, but the end result is that the batterys in the vettes tend to go dead,faster than if they were in use daily even if I use a charger on them, fairly frequently.I usually have batteries die after about 15-20 months, even those garaunteed for 72 months, and its a P.I.T.A. dealing with warranty B.S. example WALL MARTS best battery tends to go about 15-18 months even thou its warranteed for longer , and the reciepts tend to get lost or fade so you can,t read them. QUESTION, has anyone found a type or brand of battery that goes long term better than the standard car batteries, IM thinking a marine deep cycle battery may be the trick here??? "Why not hook up a battery maintainer?" I have several chargers, and use them constantly,on trickle charge,the batterys just don,t hold up as long as I think they should, unless I drive the car frequently, personally I think the vibration durring use helps keep the battery plates cleaner opinions.info welcome guys

did you degree in the cam or just match the marks on the gears? the problem sounds like the valves are timed wrong or thier adjusted badly, but it could be the fireing orders wrong , ignitions screwed up,or a vacume leak, youll need to check each potential problem if you want written instructions BTW I have both of these degree wheel, the larger 18" moroso wheel is great with the engine on an engine stand but the smaller size is mandatory IN an ENGINE COMPARTMENT http://www.thedirtforum.com/degree.htm http://www.hotrodder.com/kwkride/degree.html heres just the video if you have the tools already http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=30669&prmenbr=361

those 1 5/8" should be fine!, the differance is only a few hundred rpm in effective rpm in the tq range, and you tend to lose some low rpm tq with the larger primairies I would not swap to the larger size untill you run full length headers, (IF THEN) simply because youll be very unlikely to reach the rpm ranges where 1 3/4 headers are of ANY benefit with your combos smaller port heads and dual plane intake

IM glad your ok, but for the life of me I don,t understand the reluctance to pulling the radiator or engine, either one or both are AT MOST a long three day weekend and SHOULD BE only between an hour or two, up to one long day, depending on whats involved and the tools and skills brought to bear on the job, surely a few hours to a full three day long job is worth the effort vs potentially blowing an engine due to low oil levels???

I mailed you a new cam/lifter set guy, this morning,I hope that gets you back on the road, don,t forget to flush the engine out, a mix of one gallon diesel and 3-4 qts of cheap oil, well blended and poured thru the engine so it drains strait out and tends to flush out the metalic dust/crud before installing the new cam is a great idea, add a new oil filter, replace the magnets and add fresh oil before starting it this time, and use lots of MOLY assembly lube on the cam and lifters, http://www.cranecams.com/index.php?show=browseParts&lvl=2&prt=15 http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/moly.html Id also use a oil like the shell or VALVOLINE oil

yeah, looks like a 1/2 ass attempt at a port match/minor clean up, I probably helped rather than hurt, so I would not worry about it, in fact ID personally pull the valves and do a pocket port and clean up the ports more if those were my heads btw this might help (don,t get carried away, minor tweaks and smoothing go far further than major screw-ups toward helping) http://www.diyporting.com/Shrouding.html http://www.ws6transam.org/ported.html

the large plastic mallet & CAREFULLY smack the CRAP out of the end of the head idea works, and if you look carefully theres a small area DESIGNED for a prybar tip on some head castings but I would be VERY carefull about scratching the machined surfaces

your damper/pulley, will most likely need to come forward on the crank snout at least the full 2.25" so theres little likelyhood you can use any tool without pulling the radiator assemby

if you have the roller rockers keep them, I would NOT use an EDELBROCK cam, theres been a few quality control issues on occasion. whats your true compression ratio and rear gear ratio, trans type ETC.

many guys miss those two end bolts that are well down in the oil return grouve (#14 and #17)

http://members.aol.com/chevroletman/block.html#small%20block http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm http://www.nastyz28.com/sbchevy/sblock.html http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/parts/codes.htm http://www.jimsperformance.com/blocks.html

http://members.aol.com/chevroletman/block.html#small%20block http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm

just some info guys, MOST engine stands use a removable slip fit head thats designed to be bolted to the block then the engine with the head attached is greased then slid into place and locked in place with a large pin and a handle, unfortunately , my friends engine stand has a non-removeable gear drive rotator head

now IM an old cranky guy fairly set in my ways, but IM always ready to learn and change, if i see something better,smarter quicker or cheaper, yet at times it makes me $%^&*(* crazy to work with people that don,t think things thru... example one of the guys I know bought a big block chevy, bare cast iron block and was actually trying too hold it up in place manually while his 14 year old kid inserted the 4 bolts in the engine stand and align them and thread them on the engine stand, into the block. after failing after several attempts he calls me asking for assistance as Im only a few blocks distant, while I might have done something similar when I was 18 years old I LEARNED a few things since then. I arrive about 30 minutes later with my disassembled engine crane and a box of accessories, the first thing I do is start laughting at his expression, then I open my tool kit and get out the 3/8/16 tap and die set, and check/thread the holes in the block because I don,t want to be cross threading things, I look at his engine stand bolts and throw them in the trash, he protested, I gave him 4 grade #8 4" bolts (16) 3/8 fender washers and a 18" section of 3/8" fuel line from the kit, he ask me what the washers and fuel ine was for, I said first you were useing standard grade 3 crappy bolts and they were bent the threads were worn and you just don,t do things like that if your butts going to be depending on them not breaking, you slip 4 fender washers on each bolt, slide it into the engine stand head and measure the threads sticking past the stands head, cut a section of fuel line that length,(generally about 3") slip it over the bolt, then insert it into the tool head, the fuel line tends to be a tight fit but it keeps the bolts from falling out unexpectedly and it keeps them strait and centered, Then assembled the engine crane and reached into the bag for my engine leveler OH you won,t need that he says I have a 2 ft chain we can use,I roll my eyes and hook up the engine leveler(all 4 bolts) on all four corners of the block , and proceed to lift, align and install the bolts with little effort. after Im done, I disassemble and pack the tools in the truck bed, (he thanks me then tells me (BOY THATS SURE ALOT OF EXTRA EFFORT, my boy could have threaded the old bolts while we held the block up" :smirk: I wished him well. we had a few beers and discussed his project, then I left,I just grinned the next day when he called asking about where to buy an engine leveler and crane......seems his lower back started hurting unexpectedly for no reason at all the next day , sure it may cost some money,too do the job safely,and buying /keeping spare #8 new bolts is something you learn but whats your back and feet worth to you,:rofl:

vortec heads have aproximately 170cc ports http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com/frame.html?/Cylinder_Heads/Vortec.html those fastburns are closer to 200cc http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com/frame.html?/Fast_Burn_Cylinder_Heads.html heres intakes that fit, your rear gear,cpr,cam timing and several other factors will dictate the correct sellection in the intake http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com/frame.html?/Edelbrock/Vortec_Head_Intakes.html

your not alone in having two projects conflict, slightly on the route to a nice car..... I started out to install a 572-600cubic inch big block in my vette,I had no room in my two car garage with all the tools and I was not about to let my dream car sit outside as I worked on it....result was my dream garage project, thats taken over two years and well over 100k and thats still in play,theres always more expence and problems, inspections,ETC. while my true orriginal goal sits, as I aquire parts, I could have easily built the car alone and saved 100K but I would not have a place to build or work on it...SOOOO....I continue....eventually ILL have both the shop and the car Ive worked to own for many years, theres no sence in building something you aren,t proud to own,or you really wish you built differantly, but tried to save a few bucks on, it will never be exactly what you dreamed about so keep that in mind while you sellect parts and make decisions and theres always that stuff that slows the process, like the wife wanting to have vactions, paid bills ETC.

what your saying about pocket porting the heads and adding a well choosen cam making more power is basically correct but ID POINT OUT that theres a un-mentioned FLAW in the thought process most guys reading that will have , and reaching to the wrong conclusion lets say the AFR heads flow potentially at 260cfm and the stock, pocket ported heads flow 235cfm with the valve open to .600 lift for the purpose of making it clearer to see lets pretend the stock valves open to a .420 lift with the stock cam and the aftermarket cam with its increased durration lifts to a .520 lift, the stock pocket ported heads flow more than enought to supply all the flow the .520 lift allows, but the AFR heads are seriously restricted by the stock cam,(and probably by that aftermarket cam) if both cars had a correctly matched cam that allowed thier full flow potential, theres zero question the AFR would pull significantly higher hp, but no matter how well the ports potentially flow, if the valves barely open and the gearing and stall speed rarely allow that flow theres no gains look at this, and keep in mind the edelbrock heads are VERY RESTRICTIVE compared to the AFR heads and the CAMS REALLY TOO MILD for best results..ESPECIALLY IF THE AFR HEADS WERE USED, yet they still make over 70 hp matched to the cam heres the better LT4 race version AFR heads heres the stock LT1 heads the AFR easily have the POTENTIAL to feed 575-600 HP, at LEAST a 100 hp PLUS advantage over the ported stock heads IF THE OTHER COMPONENTS ALLOW THEM TO FLOW AT FULL POTENTIAL, but in reality they flow enought that they easily out power the EDELBROCKS by about 50hp or more, MUCH MORE on a larger engine displacement

Nealio240z great area, I used to hunt mule deer in LIKELY CA. not far from REDDING CA. BTW cutting the socket short and use a FLEX,GEAR WRENCH http://www.arizonatools.com/tools/gear-wrench/detail/KDT9900/ can make some difficult to get to plugs far easier to install/remove

"and it's all grumpys fault!! I love it" NO FAIR GUYS (talking to my wife!) thats HER FAVORITE BITCHING THEME any time something goes wrong its ALWAYS MY FAULT, I bought her a new 50" plazma TV, they discontinued her favorite game show..]"and it's all grumpys fault!! my grandson gets a cold/sniffles, so he can,t go to disney world...]"and it's all grumpys fault!! .my youngest kid (25)gets job but he needs to go to school upstate... "and it's all grumpys fault!! ETC,]"and it's all grumpys fault!! " is a familiar THEME

the potential problem area with a basically stock independent rear suspension is its lack of ability to handle the heavier shock and torque loads, U-joints &half shafts generally don,t last to long once the power levels exceed about 1500-2000 ft lbs, that sounds like alot untill you do the math, put a 383 sbc on a healthy dose of nitrous putting out 650 ft lbs then run it thru a 4.11 rear gear, your now looking at about 2700 ft lbs of torque at the rear wheels in theory, thats why a DANA 60 live axle gets used in many serious drag cars